Functional capacity, balance and falls in institutionalized, exerciser, and active older adults

Abstract

Aging happens through biological, psychological, and social changes, which vary from individual to individual. These changes depend on lifestyle habits, demographic regions, nutritional factors, and genetic characteristics. The factors most strongly associated with falls in the elderly are: age, gender, cognitive changes, postural changes, neurological diseases, frailty, among others. This is a quantitative cross-sectional study, which sought to evaluate the functional capacity, balance and prevalence of falls in elderly people of both sexes and over 65 years of age, separated into groups and categories: institutionalized elderly, physical exercise practitioners and active people. At first, they were submitted to the Sample Characterization Questionnaire, a Mini-Mental State Examination to assess cognitive capacity, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) to estimate the weekly time spent on physical activities. To assess balance and functional capacity, the following were used: Berg Balance Scale, Fear of Falling Assessment (FES-I) and Time Up & GO (TUGT). Results and discussion: The research was composed of 72 elderly people, both sexes, separated into groups: active (n=24), practitioners of physical exercises (n=24) and institutionalized (n=24), with a mean age of 73.16 (± 2.85 years). The group of institutionalized elderly showed a higher risk of falls and impaired mobility compared to the other groups, but it was observed that they had fewer falls, compared to the active ones, which can be explained by the lack of exposure to risks, and the protection that surrounds them in nursing homes.